Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Less Stressed + More Happiness = Socialism

Previously published in The Socialist online at www.thesocialist.us on April 6, 2014

I never thought I would be one of those people. The people who get an
expensive Master’s degree so they can start a career they like and can
pay their bills but then can’t find a good job related to the field of
one’s study, and then are forced to take a job they don’t want that
won’t even cover the cost of their bills. But I have become that person.
As much as I have tried to resist it and find another way … I am there.

Now I am one of those people who has to apply to jobs I am super
over-qualified for. Now I have to hope I can get part-time jobs and
string them together into one great patchwork that, hopefully, generates
enough money to get me through another day. Of course I will keep
trying to apply to social work jobs, but for now I am facing a reality
of “do whatever it takes” to survive, and it sucks!

This all started when I was let go from my last job, had a hell of a
time trying to get another one, and got my unemployment cut when
Congress didn’t renew benefit extensions. So I got a contract job in my
field, for which I was grateful. But that made me all of $1,000 in a
month, which merely matched my unemployment. Then the referrals of
clients dried up — a “slow period” they called it. I call it being
effectively laid off, only there is no unemployment for me to claim this
time.

So now I have a job that isn’t giving me any clients to see, which
means I don’t have an income. It means my options have run out in terms
of doing what I was trained to do — social work. Now I am finding myself
applying to be a caregiver for the elderly and a receptionist at an
animal hospital, which are both part time and lower paying than the job I
was trained to do — you know, the one for which I am in 40K worth of
debt. The loans I can never pay back because I can’t get a full-time
social work job. When your options become which job would you like more
out of two jobs you don’t want, things aren’t good. These are the
craptastic choices under capitalism.

It reminds me of all the other choices people are forced to make in a
capitalist society. It’s always a choice between “two evils.” Do I pay
this bill or that one? Do I buy more unhealthy food that costs less or
have less to eat but more healthy food? Do I not fix my car and try to
live without it or fix it and have to go into more debt when I put it on
a credit card? Do I get my medications refilled or pay my rent? Do I
move in with family or friends, live in my car, or go into a shelter? Do
I ask my parents or my friends for money? Do I skip breakfast so I can
afford to feed my kids? Do I just skip my shower/meal/medications
because I can’t afford to pay for someone to help me and I’m too frail
to do it myself?

Let’s be honest, these choices suck! They aren’t choices anyone wants
to make. They aren’t choices anyone should make, ever, period. The fact
that we have accepted them as just a regular part of life shows just
how much we have adjusted to a sick system. We “suck it up” and just
trudge through the days acting as if this is just “the way life is” and
there is no other choice. Many struggle in silence, never asking for
help.

I think there are other choices. There are alternatives to such a
cruel and inhumane system. There are policies in the short term that
would ease our suffering. Things like universal health care, universal
child care, universal tax payer funded higher education, guaranteed
income, full employment, and programs that ensure that no one goes
without food, clothing, shelter, or help for basic necessities of life.
Longer term, we need a socialist transformation.

Capitalism offers no alternatives. It forces us to take jobs we hate —
if we can even find jobs. Those jobs pay us crap because the greedy
bosses steal it all from us and hoard it for themselves. Capitalism
takes from us and gives to the rich, making them richer and making us
poorer. It sets up a system of desperation and drudgery. It is not set
up to meet human needs. Capitalism puts profit above people.

On the other hand, socialism is a system based on human needs, where
we all can share the collective wealth of society. Socialism gives us
better choices. Choices that give us dignity and work we enjoy. Choices
that gives us enough money and enough free time as well. Choices that
allow us to live, and not just get by. These are real choices.
Capitalism forces us into choices we don’t want. Socialism gives us
choices we do want. It’s that simple.

Some people have wishful thinking when it comes to capitalism. They
think we can just get rid of the “bad” parts of capitalism and what’s
left will be the good stuff. They claim we can just highly regulate
capitalism and then it will be good for everyone. Sure, it could improve
a few things, but it would still not be what we need and deserve as
human beings. Capitalism creates hierarchies; and if we are ever going
to be truly liberated, power must be distributed more horizontally, and
not top down.

People trick themselves into believing capitalism can be reformed. It
cannot be reformed out of its essential exploitative nature and its
priority of profit above all else. It must be abolished and replaced
with a better system — one that is based upon our social needs as human
beings. I propose socialism, of course.

Some say, well socialism has been tried and it didn’t work. It has
actually never been officially tried in the modern era in any
industrialized nation. What was labeled as socialism, and what some
people incorrectly perceive as socialism, was actually a mixed market
economy of some sort, some countries with more capitalistic aspects and
some with less.

Some industrialized countries, such as Finland and Denmark, could be
called “socialistic” but still have capitalist aspects. They practice
what we call social democracy, but not socialism. Moreover, some
countries traditionally thought of as “socialist” were actually
totalitarian societies ran with extremely hierarchical – sometimes
fascist — dictatorships and were, thus, not democratic. Socialism is
inherently democratic.

Some people raise another objection by saying “human nature” makes us
“greedy.” Actually, what we call human nature depends on the society
one grows up in. Culture not only changes our behavior, but it also
literally shapes our brains as we develop. So we can make up our society
in any way we choose and, thus, our “nature” any way we choose, and our
brains will adapt. That can happen if we all get together and decide it
needs to be different than it is now, and we make it so. That is our
challenge.

We need to stop accepting this crappy reality and create a new one.
The future is up to us. And I, for one, am sick of scraping by and
experiencing unnecessary suffering when I could be much less stressed
and much more happy. I need more people to join with me so we can all be
less stressed and happier together.

About Me

I am a social justice writer, grassroots activist, and social worker in the East Bay Area. I pride myself on high ethical standards, responsibility to others, mutual dependence, kindness, generosity, empathy, wisdom, and deep genuine and authentic connection with others. I would describe myself as passionate and compassionate but very real at the same time. I do NOT think ignorance is bliss and I do think the truth will set you free. I would also say I am into the natural wonder of this world, and super curious about life. I am an intellectual who likes reality TV. I am an optimist and encourager. I believe in the beauty and resilience of the human spirit and feel the most alive when getting to know people better. People are never boring.